To Thine Own Self
by kittie-strange
Summary: In a moment of impulse, Sirius decides to get Harry away from the Dursleys and Dumbledore. But how does a convicted criminal on the run gain custody of his godson? He doesn't. Good thing he knows someone who can. Too bad she's a killer.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I'll own it someday, after I'm a multimillionaire. For now, Harry Potter is Miz Rowling's.

**Prologue**

The large black dog known to a select few as Sirius Black padded determinedly down the sidewalk of a busy London road. His head turned from side to side as he carefully watched the pedestrians as they passed him by, searching for a familiar face. Or at least he hoped it would be familiar. He hadn't seen the person it belonged to in sixteen years, after all. _With good reason…_ his subconscious whispered to him. He shook the thought away. Now was not the time to be dwelling on an old quarrel.

His ears perked up as he heard a muffled laugh and a familiar voice.

"Snuffles! There you are. C'mere boy!"

'Snuffles' grumbled silently to himself at the undignified name and shot an irate glare at the muggle-dressed woman who was calling him. She looked much the same as he remembered. Black clothes, long black hair, stark silver eyes, delicate features. And entirely too amused for his liking. Still, he trotted obediently over as she opened the door of the car she'd been leaning against.

"In you go, puppy. We've places to be."

Feeling what was left of his dignity sliding away like sand from a beach, the animagus sighed and clambered into the vehicle, waiting patiently in the passenger seat as the disguised witch slid into the car and turned the key. He waited until they were well on their way before resuming his human shape. "I see you got my owl."

"Yes. Though I wasn't too happy with the contents of your letter. Snuffles."

Sirius scowled. "I'm not a dog anymore. You don't have to call me that anymore. And I wasn't exactly pleased that I had to write you that letter, by the way. Getting it out undetected was a pain."

"But it's such a cute name! And it suits you so well, too." His companion sniggered gleefully. "Since I can't very well call you 'Sirius' in public, after all."

"Excuse me for being wanted for the murder of my best friends." Sirius snapped.

There was a moment of tense silence. "I apologize. I hadn't meant to bring that up." She went on to change the subject. "I am glad you wrote me, Sirius."

"Doesn't mean I've forgiven you, LaCroix." Sirius muttered.

She sighed. "Leave it, Black. We have more important things to tend to before we can deal with old issues."

For a moment, Sirius stared suspiciously at her, just a little startled. Years ago, his comment would have been the beginning of a spectacular fight. In a moment of insight, he realized that though the woman next to him had changed little on the outside, her attitude had undergone a transformation. He nodded once. "Agreed. For the moment. So how exactly are we going to go about this?"

"There are some papers in the console. Have a look at them."

Sirius spent a few seconds figuring out how to open the compartment, then extracted a sheaf of official looking documents. He frowned as he studied them, then gaped as he realized what they were. "Alexiel, are these real?"

"Yes, they are."

"But how did you get them so fast?"

Alexiel glanced over at him and raised one eyebrow sardonically. "Let's just say I have friends in high places."

"This will make things much easier." Sirius grinned. "Suddenly I'm incredibly glad I got that owl past Dumbles."

"You and me both. I still can't believe it's come to this." Alexiel said. "You know, if you're right, we're still going to have to deal with the old goat. Legal or not, he won't let this go without a fight."

"I know." Sirius growled. "But we can't let him stop us."

"We won't."

"I'm still curious how you managed to work so fast. How long have you been back in the country?"

"Two weeks."

"And you just now got around to contacting me!"

"I wanted to see how things were, first." Alexiel replied. "I don't like walking into potentially dangerous situations blind. And even with my contacts, dealing with the Ministry took the better part of a week. I wanted that taken care of before we did anything else."

"Oh."

Alexiel stared hard at the road, frowning slightly. "Sirius, before we go any further with this plan, there's one thing I have to know. Why did you choose me, of all people?"

"I thought we weren't going to get into this now?" Sirius stalled.

"We aren't. But this is relevant. If you don't trust me, things could fall apart."

Sirius thought for several minutes before speaking slowly. "I still haven't come to terms with what you do, with the decisions you made after school, but you made a vow to Lily and James. And I think—I hope—I know you well enough to know that you'd cut off your own arm before breaking it. That's why I'll trust you with Harry."

"I see." Alexiel replied evenly. "You should change back to Padfoot. We're nearly there."

* * *

Short, yes, I know. The next chapter will be longer, though. Promise. Constructive criticism is immensely appreciated. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Still not a multimillionaire yet.

**Chapter 1**

Harry, under orders from Aunt Petunia, was weeding the flowerbeds in the front lawn. Therefore, when the sleek black car pulled into the drive, he was the first to see it. He winced inwardly. Visitors to Number Four, Privet Drive usually meant a good deal of time in his room, out of sight. Though this time it would be significantly more difficult for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia to pretend he didn't exist, seeing as how he was out here in full view. The thought cheered him a bit, so he continued with his chore, watching the car casually out of the corner of his eye.

His heart gave an odd little flip when the unmistakable black dog jumped out after the dark-haired woman. _Sirius._ He stood quickly, weeds forgotten, and began walking quickly toward the pair. His mind raced as he crossed the grass. What could Sirius be doing here? Who was the woman he was with? He was vaguely aware of a muffled curse off to his right and the front door opening to spew Uncle Vernon onto the steps to his left. The woman had caught sight of him, and murmured something to Sirius. Sirius ignored her and bounded forward to greet Harry, tail wagging furiously. Harry laughed and dropped to his knees to hug his godfather.

"Padfoot! What're you doing here? I thought you were in hiding?"

Sirius barked playfully, bumping against Harry and nearly knocking him over.

"Boy!" Uncle Vernon hissed angrily, stalking closer. "What is the meaning of this? More freaks, I suppose?"

Sirius let out a feral growl, causing the huge man to take a step back. The woman had ventured closer, and was staring coolly at him with narrowed eyes.

"Perhaps we should take this discussion inside." She said.

Vernon immediately began to turn purple. "I'll not have _your kind_ in my house!"

Sirius was beginning to snarl, and the woman's face had went blank, her eyes dead. "Let me make myself clear. We _will_ go inside, where we will discuss your actions toward our godson for the past fourteen years. I suggest you start thinking of a _very_ plausible reason for the treatment I'm told he suffered at your hands."

Harry watched in fascination as his uncle turned a myriad of colors before settling on ghostly pale. As Vernon began to hurry back to the house, Harry registered what had been said. 'O_ur'_ godson? His gaze snapped to the woman and he began to demand an explanation. She shook her head briefly and waved him toward the door. Feeling more then a little confused, Harry took the hint and made his way inside with Sirius loping beside him. Sirius transformed as soon as they were safely inside, seizing his godson in a crushing hug.

"I've been wanting to do that for weeks." The wizard said as he released Harry.

"Padfoot, what's going on?" Harry sighed at the man's exuberance.

"Oh, right!" Sirius reached back and grabbed the strange woman's arm, pulling her forward. "Harry, this is your godmother, Alexiel LaCroix. For reasons I'm not quite sure of, she's been unavailable until now. I'm sure she'll explain later."

"Er…hi." Harry blinked.

"Hello Harry." Alexiel extricated herself from Sirius' grasp, elbowing him sharply in the ribs. "Try to contain yourself, Snuffles."

Ignoring Sirius' outraged oath at the nickname, Harry studied his newfound godmother curiously. "So if you're my godmother, how come I've never met you before now?"

"That's a long story that must be saved for when there is more time, and fewer people around. For now I'll just tell you that I've been working for the American magical government."

"Er, ok. So you went to school with my parents, too?"

"I was two years behind them. But your mother was a good friend of mine." Alexiel said, then shot a look past Harry to where his relatives were watching from the kitchen doorway. "I can assure you that she would be beyond appalled at your current home life. Hello Petunia, it's been so long."

Harry half-turned to look at his aunt in surprise. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the witch, and she had paled considerably. Apparently she remembered Alexiel. Harry made a mental note to ask about that later. He asked, "But why are you here now?"

"I wrote her." Sirius jumped in.

"Yes, his letter managed to catch me between assignments." Alexiel added. "It was a rather long and detailed letter covering your adventures at Hogwarts, and bits of your life here."

"So you just decided to drop by?"

"Not exactly."

"Then, what?" Harry scowled, annoyed that she was dodging his questions.

"Understand, Harry, that until I got Sirius' letter, the only things I knew about you were from Albus Dumbledore's replies to my inquiries about you." Alexiel began. "I did write letters directly to you, but after they came back unopened, I eventually gave up."

"I never got any letters."

"I know that now. But let me finish. I've spent the last sixteen years thinking you were perfectly happy with some wizard family, because that's what I was led to believe. The fact that you were placed _here_," She waved a hand at their surroundings, "expressly against your parents' wishes by the way, is what brought me back. I know damned well that Petunia can't stand magic, and no doubt her husband is the same way. So I decided to offer you somewhere else to go."

Harry stared for a long time as he processed that he'd just been given a way out of Privet Drive. Then he remembered Dumbledore's reasons for sending him to the Dursleys' and sighed unhappily. "Dumbledore says I have to stay here because of the blood wards. He won't let me leave."

Alexiel glanced questioningly at Sirius. He shrugged in confusion and she looked back at the young wizard. "Harry, there are no wards around this house that couldn't be placed anywhere else. Actually, this place could be a lot better protected."

"So he lied to me?" Harry flushed with anger, clenching his fists.

"It looks that way." Sirius said. "And he can't keep you here if you don't want to stay. Show him, Lex."

Alexiel glanced at him curiously at the nickname, but pulled out the papers she'd rolled up and stuffed in her back pocket, handing them to Harry. "Those are adoption papers, Harry. This is what would have been done had your parents' will been followed. Officially, you are now my ward and I get to boss you around and all that good stuff. Unofficially, whether you come with Sirius and I or stay here with your aunt and uncle is completely up to you. I don't feel I have the right to tell you where you live, since you pretty much don't know me. I'm just giving you other options. You're too young for emancipation or I would have tried that angle."

"So, I don't have to stay here anymore?"

"Not if you don't want to."

"Take him!" Petunia spat. "We don't want him here. We've had enough of his—his _freakishness!_"

Before anyone could react, Alexiel exploded into movement, lunging the distance to the bony woman and shoving the pistol that had appeared in her hand against Petunia's forehead.

"Tell me why I shouldn't splatter your brain all over your nice, clean kitchen." She purred. "You disgust me! He is your blood and you treat him like trash while you indulge every whim of that waste of flesh you call your son." Petunia trembled; whether at the proximity of the gun or the frigid calmness of the woman holding it was anyone's guess.

"I've watched you over the past two weeks. I've seen how you slap Harry down and belittle him at every turn. You should be ashamed. Lily would murder you herself were she to see how you have treated her son. Perhaps I should do it for her."

There was a strained silence, as the room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the witch to decide. Finally, she stepped back, lowering her weapon and sliding it against the base of her spine where it disappeared. "You're not worth the bullet it would take to kill you. A quick death is more then you deserve."

She turned back to Harry. "Make your choice. I'm sick of this place."

Harry stared at her, wide-eyed. "That was scary…"

"I'm often scary."

"…But it was bloody wicked. Will you teach me to do that?"

"If you like."

"Brilliant." Harry grinned. "Let's be off, then."

"Great." Sirius was fidgeting nervously. "Let's go before Dumbles shows up."

"Right. His little spy has probably alerted him by now. "Alexiel agreed.

"What?" Harry frowned. "What spy? And I have to get my stuff before we go."

"Shit." Alexiel said eloquently. "Where is it?"

"Trunk's in the cupboard. The rest is upstairs." Harry said.

"Wonderful. I'll get the trunk, you two go start gathering stuff up." She pulled a wand from nowhere and aimed it at the cupboard as Harry and Sirius darted up the stairs.

"Where is she hiding that gun and her wand? I never even saw them." Harry asked as he led the way to the second bedroom.

"Disillusioned holsters." Sirius replied. "Damned useful trick. Aurors use it a lot."

"So she's an auror?"

"Something like that…" Sirius muttered as they reached the room. "Let's hurry."

Harry nodded and began to gather his clothes. "What did you guys mean about Dumbledore's spy?"

"He's had members of the Order of the Phoenix keeping an eye on you all summer." Sirius tossed an armful of books on the bed.

"What's the Order of the Phoenix?"

"It's a sort of secret organization that he started during the first war to fight the Dark Lord. Now he's brought it back."

"And he's using it to spy on me?" Harry remembered the curse he'd heard when Padfoot had exited the car and swore vividly, earning an appreciative look from his godfather. "Can I trust him at all?"

"Probably not." Alexiel said as she appeared in the doorway, Harry's trunk floating behind her. She sat it down at the foot of the bed and lifted the lid. "Why do you think we're here?"

Several loud cracks from outside put a hold on any replies. The two adults exchanged a grim look. Sirius grimaced.

"They're here."

Harry peeked out the window. "Looks like Dumbledore, the Weasleys, Moody, Remus and some girl with pink hair." He growled. "And Snape."

"Wonderful. _Pack!_" Alexiel waved her wand and Harry's belongings jumped into the trunk. "Let's go welcome them, shall we?"

* * *

A little longer this time. Could have been longer, but that seemed like a good place to stop it. Yeah, it was kind of rushed and erratic too. I claim sleep deprivation. That's it, sleep deprivation. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 


	3. Chapter 2

**Yeah, I probably should have mentioned this in the beginning, this takes place directly after GoF.**

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, still waiting..

**Chapter II**

By the time the trio got downstairs, Dumbledore and company had already made it inside. Several of the Order members had their wands drawn, appearing ready for a confrontation. Dumbledore himself was questioning the Dursleys. At the sound of their approaching footsteps, the elderly wizard looked up, eyes twinkling madly. In an instant he appraised the scene and smiled benignly.

"Harry, my dear boy. Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah." The teen smirked. "Away from here."

"Really, Harry. You know you must stay with your relatives for at least a while longer." Dumbledore beamed. "The protections your mother gave you require it."

"Bollocks!" Harry snapped. Molly Weasley let out a horrified gasp at his language, but he ignored her and plowed on. "There're no special protections here!"

There was a slight flicker of annoyance in Dumbledore's eyes before replied gently: "My dear boy, simply because you cannot see them does not mean they are not there. It takes considerable skill and training to see such things. Training I fear you lack."

"But I don't." Alexiel spoke up from behind Sirius and Harry. "Ward detection is integral in my line of work, and I see no such wards around this house."

"And even if there were, they wouldn't do much good now, would they?" Sirius added. "Since the Dark Git took Harry's blood, after all."

"Sirius," Dumbledore fixed a disappointed look on the animagus. "I must say I did not expect this of you. Sneaking out of Grimmauld Place to involve Harry in your quest for adventure. You are aware that it is not safe for you to be about."

"Frankly, Headmaster? Your opinion doesn't mean a whole lot to me right now." Sirius growled. "I won't be locked up in that dreary house!"

"Padfoot, please." Remus gave his friend an entreating look. "I know you don't like being there, but it's better then going back to Azkaban, or getting Kissed, isn't it?"

"Not by much!"

Remus sighed. "But it _is_ a little better, right? And we can bring Harry along. I don't want him here, either, you know."

"So we're to lock him up in that prison, too?" Sirius scowled. "No! That's why Alexiel is here. Harry can go with her."

Remus frowned. "Are you sure that's wise, Padfoot? Can we trust her?"

"Why wouldn't you trust her?" Harry asked. "She's my godmother, right?"

"Because she's a killer, that's why!" Molly Weasley burst out.

"What!" Harry whipped around to stare at the witch in question in shock.

"Bit harsh, there, aren't you Molly?" Alastor Moody gave her a skeptical look, his magical eye whirling to watch the others. "Not like she goes out killing muggles. Not innocent ones, anyway."

"She's still a killer!" Molly insisted.

"She's a Spook." Moody argued. "If we had a program like that here, we wouldn't have to deal with all these ruddy Death Eaters!"

Harry frowned. "Do you really kill people, Alexiel?"

"When necessary."

"When is it necessary to kill someone!" Harry demanded.

Alexiel looked at him coolly. "When that person is a cold-blooded mass murderer, who may or may not also rape and/or torture their victims."

"Like Voldemort." Harry said bluntly. Most of the witches and wizards present shuddered reflexively.

"Yes."

"Is it hard?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Harry decided that would require more thought later. "Can I trust you?"

"You can trust me to keep you alive and healthy. Happy is up to you."

"This is inconsequential." Snape said. "Obviously this is just another ploy for attention by the Boy-Who-Lived. Simply tell him he must remain here, Headmaster, so we can leave."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Alexiel smiled sweetly. "Because as of 11:28 yesterday, I am Harry's legal guardian. The Headmaster has no authority over Harry outside of school."

There were a few exclamations of surprise at her announcement. As the Order members processed the new information, she gave Harry a questioning look. "Anything you want to add?"

"Yeah." Harry scowled darkly at Dumbledore. "Why did you lie to me about the wards? And why did you leave me with the Dursleys? Alexiel said that she should have been made my guardian after my parents died, and I'm more inclined to trust her over you right now."

Dumbledore appeared to be struggling for an answer. "Harry…I did not believe that living with Ms. LaCroix would be what's best for you. I had to take into consideration her lifestyle and place of employment, after all."

"What a load of rubbish." Alexiel snapped. "When I finally found out Lily and James had been killed—two months after the fact! —I told you that I was more then willing come back to Britain to raise Harry. You told me he was with the Diggles, perfectly happy and safe! That I shouldn't uproot him after he'd settled in with them!"

"My dear girl—" Dumbledore began.

"I am not your dear girl!"

"Alexiel, then." Dumbledore conceded. "I did not want you to abandon the goals you were so adamant to achieve. And Harry _was_ settled by then. Are you certain you did not misread my letter? Diggle is rather similar to Dursley, after all."

"Not that similar." Sirius and Alexiel both said.

"And what about the letters?" Harry broke in. "She said she sent me letters, too. But I never saw them."

Here Dumbledore saw an opening. "Perhaps she did not actually send them."

The Headmaster nearly smiled when he saw a shadow of doubt on Harry's face, then cursed mentally as Alexiel shook her head, saying: "That won't work, old man. I've still got the letters in a nice, safe place."

"Albus, is this true?" Arthur Weasley was frowning. "The Potter's wills stated that Ms. LaCroix was to have custody in the event of their death?"

"There were several people listed as potential guardians in the will." Sirius stated grimly. "Including myself, Remus, Alexiel, the Longbottoms and several others. It ended up that the only one not dead, in St. Mungo's or considered a Dark Creature (no offense, Moony,) was Alexiel. Yet, somehow, he ended up _here_."

"I'm rather curious about that, myself, Headmaster." Remus said. "If it's true that there are no blood wards here, then why _did_ you insist on placing Harry here?"

The Headmaster clearly did not have a reasonable answer to that, and he fumed inwardly as the curious looks on his observers' faces gradually turned to frowns at his continued silence. His carefully laid plans were falling apart around him, and he knew exactly who was to blame. But he would save revenge for later. For now, it was best to salvage the situation as much as he could. He smiled. "My reasons are my own, I'm afraid. I assure you I had Harry's welfare in mind."

"Sure you did." Alexiel snorted. "You only lied to him, subjected him to people who despise him for most of his life and betrayed his parents' trust while doing so."

"Potter has obviously been filling your head with lies." Snape drawled. "Simply because he is not pampered and catered to as he would have been in the Wizarding World is no reason to assume his treatment here was not perfectly acceptable."

"_Acceptable?_" Harry snarled. "Would you like to see where I lived before I came to Hogwarts?"

He stalked to the cupboard under the stairs and flung the door open, stepping back and gesturing to the interior. He sneered, "Does that look _acceptable_ to you, Snape? A thin mat on the floor, no way to get out once the door was closed, barely room to move! And did I mention the bars they put on my window after I finally _did_ get an actual bedroom? Or how I was usually locked in, with what passed for my meals being given to me through a cat flap?"

Even Snape looked a little shocked at that. Others were looking absolutely murderous. Sirius' hands were twitching sporadically, as though he were imagining strangling someone. He glared balefully at the Dursleys. "Alexiel, may I borrow your wand?"

"Maybe after I've finished with it." Alexiel hissed.

"Have mine, Padfoot." Remus growled softly. "Just make it count."

The Dursleys were looking absolutely terrified, backing up into the kitchen. Dumbledore stepped between them and the furious trio. "Let us not loose our heads. Cursing the Dursleys, while satisfying as it may seem, is not the best course of action."

"You're absolutely right." Sirius said. "We should be cursing you, since you're the one who left Harry here."

Moody chuckled sadistically. "The boy has a point, Albus. You are partially responsible for this."

"Alastor!" Arthur shot him a disapproving look before turning to Sirius and Alexiel. "Perhaps it would be best if we were to all leave now. You'll undoubtedly want to get Harry settled at…wherever it is that you'll be staying."

For a moment, he thought they really would hex the Headmaster. Finally Alexiel relaxed, the wand she'd drawn falling to her side. "You're right. It's a long way home. Sirius?"

Reluctantly, Sirius ceased glaring at Dumbledore. "Fine. Let's go, Harry."

"Er…would someone mind helping me with my trunk?" Harry gave the trunk a light kick. "It's a bit heavy."

Remus promptly shrunk it to pocket size and Harry flashed him a grin. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Harry." Remus clapped the teen on the shoulder before looking hesitantly at his guardian. "May I come with you, Alexiel? I would rather not return to Grimmauld Place."

She shrugged. "If you feel you can trust me not to kill you in your sleep, then sure."

Remus winced at the reminder of his earlier comment, but nodded. "Thank you."

Seeing no reason to dawdle, Alexiel waved Harry and Remus out the door and gave Sirius a _look_. He sighed in resignation and changed into the dog, padding out the door in front of her.

The last thing they heard as she closed the door was an irate Molly Weasley snapping: "Albus Dumbledore, you have some explaining to do!"

* * *

It was a long drive to London and it was spent mostly in silence or idle chitchat. Occasionally someone would point out some interesting landmark, but for the most part everyone kept their thoughts to themselves. The car, it turned out, was a loan from the Ministry of Magic and once they reached central London, Alexiel exchanged it for a portkey. They gathered out of sight in an alley and grabbed hold of the bright green Mardi Gras beads (Padfoot used his teeth to grab one of the plastic beer mugs hanging from it) and Alexiel activated the portkey. 

It dumped them in a dazzling green field surrounded by trees. Harry blinked and looked around curiously. "Where are we?"

"Ireland." Alexiel replied.

"Is that where we're supposed to be?"

"Yes." Alexiel smiled. "My home is located seven miles northeast of Ardmore."

As soon as she spoke, the air seemed to shimmer and part, revealing tall wrought iron gates bearing a crest of two large cats encircling a crossed sword and staff. The gate was set in sturdy stone walls that encircled an extensive lawn and a sprawling stone manor. Twin towers speared the sky on either side of the house's rear, almost like afterthoughts.

Remus made an appreciative noise. "Impressive. And it's under the Fidelius Charm?"

Alexiel nodded. "And, for reasons my great-great grandfather only knows, it's unplottable. That's rather inconvenient at times, actually."

"So this is where we'll be living?" Harry asked.

"Indeed it is." Alexiel grinned and drew her wand to unlock the gates. "Welcome to Sidhe Keep."

* * *

Grah.. another chapter of mostly dialogue, but it had to be done. I'm really not too happy with it, but I rewrote the whole thing three times, so it's probably not going to get any better. But chapter 3 should, hopefully, give us a little insight into Dumbledore's mind. And I promise I'm going to work on it as soon as this is uploaded. I'm not going to watch Invader Zim, I swear! 


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter, but Alexiel and her temper tantrums are all mine.

**Chapter III**

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office mulling over the events of the day. The appearance of Alexiel LaCroix and Harry Potter's subsequent removal from Privet Drive left him with something of a problem. With Harry's godmother in the picture, he, Albus, would no longer be a guiding force in the young wizard's life. Or at least not _the_ guiding force. It was something that made Albus uncomfortable. He had become accustomed to being able to subtly influence the boy, carefully shaping him into the tool needed to rid the world of Voldemort.

Now that was at an end, all thanks to the meddling of Sirius Black and Alexiel LaCroix. It irritated him to no end that Black had had the gall to write to LaCroix, who Black himself had declared he would never speak to again so many years ago. And LaCroix herself…Albus scowled darkly. The little wretch had _never_ been so outspoken and confident in school. He was rather surprised by the change, actually. It was difficult to believe that someone who had been so docile and unimposing for most of her life had managed to completely reverse her personality. Perhaps it was her chosen profession that had inspired the change. Either way, if LaCroix retained control of Harry, it ruined all of Albus' carefully laid plans.

If he could somehow bring the witch under his influence, however, there was a chance that he could fix things. The only problem was how to go about doing it. Perhaps he could offer her a teaching position. He would simply mention that it would be ideal for making sure Harry was safe and keeping out of trouble. Now the only question was, what would she teach? He was leery of offering her the Defense Against the Dark Arts position; there was no telling what atrocities she might teach the children. Perhaps Muggle Studies, or History of Magic…Binns really should have been replaced long ago, after all. Then, once she was within Hogwarts, he could gradually chip away at her seeming hostility toward him. It would take great care, but he had no doubt that he could eventually gain the witch's trust, and with it, regain his influence over Harry. And if he failed, well, there were all sorts of potions and spells that would do the work for him.

As he examined his plan, he decided the most important part would be convincing LaCroix he'd had no idea Harry was so mistreated at the Dursleys'. To be honest, he hadn't known what Harry's life would be like when he had been left at that house. Perhaps he should have checked up on the boy over the years, but really, it never occurred to him that Harry would be so mistreated. He was Petunia's only nephew, after all, and Harry had never said outright that he had suffered such abuse. Albus was willing to admit that he had been thoroughly shocked and appalled that afternoon when Harry had shown them his cupboard, but he would just as easily admit (to himself at least) that some part of him was thankful for the Dursleys' cruelty. It had made Harry an almost slavishly grateful boy when he finally came to Hogwarts, which made it that much easier to manipulate him. Naturally, if faced with the decision of Harry's placement again, he would have chosen differently, but since he couldn't change the past, he would take advantage of the present.

No matter how many questions it raised.

* * *

Sidhe Manor was huge, and Harry was enjoying exploring it. After he had gotten settled in his new room (it was huge!), Alexiel had given him the go ahead to wander wherever he liked, so long as he didn't try to get into any locked rooms, as she wasn't sure what was in them. That was fine with Harry. He had yet to encounter any of those locked doors, and he'd been wandering around for hours. He'd seen mostly bedrooms, but there were a few interesting rooms, like the room that was bare except for a huge fountain; or the room full of ancient armor and weapons. There had been a short hall on the second floor that was lined in dozens of portraits, and he had spent several minutes discussing Quiditch with a couple of them. He had left after one of the older portraits had woken and started screeching about trespassers.

Now he made his way to the ground floor. He had already been through most of the rooms down here, but one of the portraits had mentioned a Quiditch pitch, and he was curious to see if it was still around. He ventured toward the back of the house, thinking that if the pitch was still there, that's where it would be. As he passed the library, he paused, hearing voices behind the closed door. He stepped closer and listened carefully. It was definitely Sirius and Alexiel, and from the sounds of it they were having a serious row. He frowned. They hadn't given any indication that they were angry with each other earlier, so why were they fighting now? He started to press his ear to the door, but a hand on his shoulder made him jump and whirl around.

Remus was watching him in bemusement. "Something wrong, Harry?"

"Sirius and Alexiel are fighting."

"Really?" Remus blinked at the closed door, listening for a moment. "So they are."

"Why?" Harry asked. "I thought they were friends?"

"They were." Remus said. "But Alexiel's decision to go to America after she graduated put a big rift in their friendship. I am not certain Sirius has ever completely forgiven her for joining the MIB."

"What?" Harry stared. "The Men In Black? They're real?"

Remus laughed. "It stands for Magical Investigation Bureau. I believe it's the equivalent to the muggle CIA. I'm not sure what the branch she works for is called."

"So basically, Sirius is mad because he doesn't like her job?"

"Yes."

"But doesn't she only go after the bad guys?"

"Yes."

"Then why is he so upset about it?"

"Listen for yourself. They're arguing loud enough." Remus waved a hand toward the door, then laughed when Harry just looked at him. "Eavesdropping is a time-honored Marauder tradition."

Harry just shrugged and pressed his ear to the door.

Inside the library, Sirius was pacing angrily in front of the fireplace. For twenty minutes, he and Alexiel had been arguing over her exodus to America sixteen years ago, and her choice of employment once she got there. He spun and glared furiously at the petite witch, shooting off yet another accusation. "We befriended you! You were very nearly an honorary Marauder like Lily, and how did you repay us? By running off to become a bloody assassin!"

"What utter bullshit!" Alexiel snapped. She glared back from across the room, her arms folded defensively over her stomach. "I was _Lily's_ friend! The only reason you lot acknowledged me was because James couldn't stay away from her and she was always with either me or one of her other friends! You never could comprehend that she had a life away from your precious Marauders."

"You're avoiding the subject," Sirius returned. "Even if you were more Lily's friend then ours, do you really think that she wanted one of her best friends to become a killer?"

"The only reason Lily didn't like the idea was because she was worried I would be hurt!" Alexiel retorted. "I told her my plans long before you ever found out, and she agreed that it was a necessary evil!"

"You can't expect me to believe that." Sirius let out a short, humorless laugh. "Lily was far too kind-hearted to condone killing for money."

"Yes, Lily was kind. But she was also practical. She understood why I chose this path."

"Oh" Sirius snorted. "Why don't you enlighten me to your reasoning, then. Because I sure as hell can't see why you do it!"

"I do it because someone has to!" Alexiel was nearly shouting by now. "The people I get rid of are right up there with the worst Death Eaters. They torture and rape and kill. And they enjoy it! Would you rather they walk free, biding their time until their next victim?"

"And there are no other ways to stop them, then? They could be locked up, stripped of their magic, something!"

"You of all people should know that no prison is infallible. And stripping them of their magic is useless when they can simply turn to muggle means to keep killing. And it generally makes them even more insane."

"I was innocent." Sirius growled. "What about your victims? How can you be absolutely certain they're guilty?"

"Christ Jesus, Sirius." Alexiel stared at him. "Do you think I just go out and say 'hey, you look like a murderer!' I spend weeks—months—investigating, researching, observing—! And everything I find is gone over with a fine tooth comb by at least two dozen people in the chain of command before I get the order to execute someone!"

"What gives someone the right to decide to take a human life?" Sirius demanded.

"So it's okay for criminals to kill, but not for someone to kill the criminals? Fuck that. I won't be judged by you." Alexiel snarled, turning and stalking to the door. She growled when she found Remus and Harry on the other side. "I suppose you want to condemn me as well."

Both shook their heads in a silent 'no' and watched warily as she stormed down the hall and disappeared around a corner. They slipped into the library, Harry taking a seat on an overstuffed sofa and Remus joining Sirius near the fireplace. Remus sighed. "That really could have gone better, Padfoot."

Sirius snorted. "You heard the whole thing, then? Surely you don't agree with her?"

"Intellectually, I can sympathize with her reasons for doing what she does." Remus replied. "Emotionally, however…well, it's difficult to know that a friend makes a living killing people, even if they are essentially killers themselves."

"That's quite a change from wondering if we could trust her earlier, Moony."

"As you said, I heard the greater part of your disagreement." Remus said. "And many of the things she said were logical enough that I can agree with them. I suspect that after you've had time to think it over, you will as well."

"We'll see." Sirius muttered. "But I don't have to like it."

"What about you, Harry?" Remus asked. "We've done a spectacular job of ignoring your opinions today, haven't we?"

Harry spent a few moments thinking it over before you answered. "It's like you said. Intellectually, I'm okay with it. But if I actually had to see her kill someone, I don't know what I'd think about it." He paused, considering. "The fact that it's dark wizards she goes after makes it easier to accept, I guess. Maybe it's better that someone deals with them before they turn into another Voldemort. Things definitely would have been better if someone had killed him before he got so powerful."

Sirius sighed. "Even I can agree with that. I suppose I better go apologize, then." He grinned sheepishly at Harry. "Don't suppose you'd be a good godson and go find her and tell me when she's not so pissed?"

"Coward, Padfoot?" Harry snickered.

"When it comes to facing an angry woman?" Sirius smirked. "Hell yes."

Harry just rolled his eyes in amusement, standing and making his way out of the library. He took the same route Alexiel had taken, but it still took nearly twenty minutes before he finally tracked her down. She was seated on a balcony on the third floor, her back pressed against the railing and a book opened on her knees. She watched him blankly as he crossed the wooden planks to sink down beside her. They sat in silence for several minutes before Harry finally spoke.

"Sirius sent me to see if you're still mad, so he can apologize."

"Bloody coward." Alexiel snorted.

Harry grinned. "That's what he said." He glanced idly at her book, and saw it was filled with photos. There was one of his mum and a younger Alexiel standing by the lake at Hogwarts. He smiled a bit. "So you and my mum were good friends?"

Alexiel nodded. "Lily was my best friend. It always surprised me that she didn't mind me tagging along after her. Most people wouldn't have put up it."

"How did you end up being friends?"

Alexiel sighed. "Well, it was like this…"

* * *

Two chapters in twenty-four hours. I'm so proud of myself. Really. Anyway, I had originally planned to save Sirius' and Alexiel's confrontation for later, and devote this chapter to Dumbledore's musings and Harry's exploration of Sidhe Keep, but I decided that they really had to get it out of the way. Things just couldn't have progressed well otherwise. It still seems like things are moving rather slow, but that's just me. Next chapter we'll find out how Lily and Alexiel met, and Harry and Alexiel will finally discuss in depth her job at the MIB.

Many thanks to everyone who reviewed. It's really nice to know people are enjoying the story so far.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I think we've gone over this before…

**Chapter IV**

"I first met your mum in my second year, when she hexed the pants off some Slytherins, literally." Alexiel began. "I was horribly shy in school; my family was always rather reclusive and eccentric, and I was terrible at making friends. I might as well have had a target painted on my back, because I was the perfect victim for some of the bullies in Slytherin. Well, your mum wasn't exactly fond of people who picked on those younger and smaller then them, so when she happened to come across a group of fifth years who were practicing their favorite jinxes on me...well, it wasn't pretty.

"Needless to say, she was rather angry—and your mum's anger was a formidable thing. By the time she was through with those fifth years, they had learned a whole new respect for the wrath of a redhead. As for me, I was so astounded by a fourth year Gryffindor sticking up for some scrawny little Ravenclaw that I couldn't speak a word while she reversed what jinxes she could, and helped me to the hospital wing for what she couldn't." Alexiel smiled wryly at the memory.

"And you guys were friends after that?" Harry asked.

"Not quite that quickly." Alexiel replied. "Lily made a habit of checking up on me every so often after that, and gradually it went from her asking how I was and me squeaking a reply, to having actual conversations. It helped that we were both seriously dedicated to getting good grades, and were often in the library at the same time. It seemed the most natural thing to sit together and help each other out if we could. After that things progressed rather quickly, and it wasn't long before we were spending our free time gossiping by the lake or practicing charms in an empty classroom. Once Lily realized I had a habit of reading some more advanced books on charms and transfiguration, she helped me learn whatever I could. We had a lot of fun. Once we charmed some suits of armor to sing a delightfully bawdy Irish drinking song whenever someone walked by. Some of her older friends were a bit skeptical about running about with someone two years younger then them, but they got used to it quickly enough."

"When did you meet the Marauders?"

"Oh, that would have been in my third year, I believe, and your mother's fifth year. James had a crush on Lily for the longest time, but it wasn't until then that he actually tried to do something about it. Once he had made up his mind that he wanted Lily, there was no getting rid of him. He was forever coming up with the most ridiculous excuses to talk to her, and the others just came with him, like a set." Alexiel smiled. "James pretty much ignored me; then, he ignored just about everyone when Lily was around. Occasionally Sirius would get bored and tease me a bit, but he always ended up with pink hair or purple spots for some reason."

Harry laughed at thought. "I would love to see Padfoot with pink hair and purple spots. I don't suppose you got a picture of that?"

"I'm afraid not." Alexiel laughed, then her expression turned slightly evil. "But it could be arranged…"

Harry's eyes widened. "Would you? Can I take pictures? Please!"

"Come with me." Alexiel stood and hurried inside.

Harry followed after her. She led the way to a room on the second floor, and when Harry peeked inside, he realized it must be her bedroom. She rummaged in a drawer of the bedside table for a moment before coming back and handing him a camera. The two exchanged mischievous grins and continued downstairs. Sirius and Remus had moved to the kitchen, and Alexiel held up a hand to keep Harry back a moment so she could draw her wand. Harry readied the camera and stepped through the door when Alexiel waved him on. She followed right on his heels.

"Oi, Sirius."

Sirius' head snapped up, and he stared in incomprehension at the wand pointing at him. Grinning madly, Alexiel snapped out the incantations before he could react, and in half a second the notorious Marauder was sporting eye-searing fuchsia hair and neon purple spots. Harry quickly snapped as many pictures as he could, before he doubled over in laughter. Remus was shaking silently, lips pressed tightly together to hold back a chuckle. He finally broke, leaning against a counter and howling with laughter as Sirius continued to stand with a look of absolute horror on his face.

"Been a while since I did that." Alexiel cackled.

"You—you—" Sirius' eyebrow twitched. Deftly, he plucked Remus' wand from the werewolf's robe pocket and barked a color changing charm at her. Alexiel ducked away and raced out of the room, leaving it to impact the wall beside the door. Harry and Remus broke into fresh laughter as Sirius rushed after her, calling out various charms and hexes.

Remus grinned widely. "Should we stay out of the way or get pictures?"

"Oh pictures, definitely." Harry smirked.

There was a crash from somewhere followed by an angry shriek and shouted curse from Alexiel. The werewolf and the boy wizard grinned at each other, and went to watch the show.

* * *

When the impromptu prank war had finished two hours later, Harry had taken considerable blackmail pictures. He decided later that his favorites were one of Alexiel with bright blue hair, red tiger stripes, green cat ears and a tail, and one of Sirius with rainbow hair, neon orange skin and a color changing maid's uniform. He was thankful that he'd been the one with the camera, because in the process of taking pictures, he'd been hit with something that had given him rainbow skin, white hair and a bikini and he _really_ didn't want a picture of that floating around. In the end, it was decided that Remus won the war, as he had taken back his wand and hit both Sirius and Alexiel with something that had them dancing around in something resembling a saloon girl's dress from a western movie and singing 'I Will Survive.' Harry had been laughing too hard to get a picture of that one.

Once everyone was back to normal, Alexiel pulled him aside and handed him the photo album she'd been looking at earlier. She said: "I thought you might like to look through that. There are a lot of pictures of your parents in there."

"Thank you." Harry clutched the book closely and started to turn away. He hesitated, "Actually, I still have some questions for you, about, you know, your job."

Alexiel looked at him curiously for a minute, then nodded. "We can talk in the parlor."

The two retreated to the parlor, and Alexiel cast a silencing charm on the door after she closed it. When Harry frowned, she explained. "I have a feeling that you're going to be asking me questions that will require privacy. There's a lot about my job that's not supposed to be discussed. I might not tell most people such things, but I will tell you if you ask, if it will help you trust me."

"Oh." Harry sat on the edge of an armchair and considered how to begin. "What—exactly—do you do? I mean, I know you, er, kill people, but that can't be all there is to it."

"Very astute." Alexiel took a chair opposite him. "I work for a rather secretive branch of the MIB—Magical Investigation Bureau—called the Ghost Project. There are many sections in Ghost; some devoted purely to research and development, some not. One of those 'not's is my department. I'm what's called a Spook. My job is to investigate murders and track down the people who commit them. Not much different from a muggle police officer."

"Except you don't arrest them."

"That's not entirely true." Alexiel said. "Every so often, I come across someone who has committed murder completely by accident, under serious duress, or, very, very rarely, under the control of someone else. Those are a bit more complicated to deal with."

"How do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, the accidents and the serious duress cases usually get prison, the harshness of the sentence depending on the seriousness and circumstances of the crime. The ones who are under some sort of control are evaluated by mind healers and their treatment determined from the mind healer's report. Usually, they end up with a whole load of therapy, but occasionally we get someone who _meant_ to commit the crime, but placed himself or herself under the control of someone else in order to escape punishment if they're caught. These people and their accomplices are taken into custody and their fates decided by the higher ups."

"What about self-defense?"

"Self-defense cases are usually released, so long as it can be proven that it was self-defense."

"And dark wizards?"

"They get no second chances." Alexiel said bluntly. "If someone uses magic to kill purposely and repeatedly, they are executed. The same goes for rogue lycanthropes. If they deliberately kill and turn people, it's a death sentence."

"But they're still people. Doesn't it bother you?"

"It used to. It took me a long time to come to terms with killing someone, but I realized that by giving all those serial killers, dark wizards and lycanthropes a one way pass to hell, I was ensuring that their potential victims were free to live their lives without fear of torture and death."

"Do you kill muggle serial killers, too?"

"If the muggle government asks us to step in, then yes, Ghost will deal with muggle killers, too."

Harry frowned. "I can't think why 'Ghost' and 'Spook' sound familiar…"

"If you've ever watched any muggle spy movies, or read any spy books that's why." Alexiel said. "They often use those terms for assassins in some top secret government program. Ironically, they're right."

"Oh." Harry blinked. "So what is the magical world like in America?"

Alexiel thought for a moment. "It's not as segregated from the muggle world. It's still secret, but it's more accepting of muggle technology and concepts. More often then not, wizard businesses will be hidden right next to muggle ones. Sort of like the Leaky Cauldron. There are still places like Diagon Ally and Hogsmeade, but you can get everything you need without having to make a special trip."

"I'd like to see it." Harry said. "It sounds like fun."

"Oh it is." Alexiel said. "Maybe we'll take a trip there this summer."

"That would be nice." Harry said. "By the way, I was wondering, could you teach me some of those charms you used on Sirius?"

"I would be more then happy to." Alexiel tilted her head and watched him curiously. "Actually, considering your knack for finding trouble, how would you like to learn some more useful spells as well?"

"Like what?"

"Like stuff you could use against Death Eaters. And Voldemort."

"You actually said his name," Harry said in surprise. "Most people don't."

"It's just a name. It's stupid to be afraid of a name."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Harry muttered. "D'you suppose you could teach me to use a gun, too? It would be dead useful."

"I'll have to think about that one. For now, why don't we go grab some dinner? It's been a long day and it might be a good idea to turn in early."

"That sounds good." Harry stood and waited for Alexiel to go ahead of him. "So, d'you want copies of those pictures of Sirius I took?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

* * *

I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but I can't claim I came up with the idea of the MIB. It was blatantly stolen from another story, which got it from another story that got it from another story and so on. So if you happen to know who came up with it originally, maybe you could let me know? The concept of Ghost and its Spooks are mine, however. At least, I've never read anything similar. The next chapter is already partially written, the second part anyway, so it should be up soon as well.

As always, thanks to those who've reviewed.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's probably not mine.

**Chapter V**

After a quick and noisy dinner with Remus and Sirius, Harry retreated to the relative isolation of the fountain room. He needed desperately to process everything that he had learned over the course of the day. With the music of falling water as a background for his musings, he thought back to Sirius and Alexiel's appearance at Privet Drive. At the time, he had thought it was a godsend, an escape from a life he hated, and it was, but he really should have been more careful about making the decision to leave with them. True, everything had turned out wonderfully, but it might not have. He had once again jumped straight into action without thinking. Someday that might come back to bite him.

He sighed, deciding there was no point in picking it over now. What was done, was done. His thoughts ventured to his godmother. He had known her only a few hours, and still did not know her very well but his instincts were telling him he could trust her, and he trusted his instincts. He admitted that he still had not completely accepted the fact that her main form of income came from killing people, but he could relate to the want of destroying dark wizards. He himself had a dark wizard after him, didn't he? And hadn't that same dark wizard killed his parents, and dozens more people that Harry had never even met? So didn't it make sense that the best way to stop the threat that was Voldemort was to kill him? And by extension, did that make it logical to get rid of all dark wizards the same way? Yes, he told himself, it did. Alexiel's arguments to Sirius did make sense if you thought of it that way.

Sirius. Harry smiled slightly. The wizard was so extremely happy to be out of Grimmauld Place, whatever that was. He had been practically bouncing off the walls in glee, and had spent a long time outside just wandering after they had arrived at Sidhe Manor. Harry guessed that whatever, or wherever Grimmauld Place was, Sirius had been confined there for far to long for the wizard's liking. Harry was glad his godfather was so happy. He himself was rather pleased that he was finally getting his wish to live with Sirius. It promised to be interesting if today's little war was any indication. He wondered if having his godparents living under the same roof would often result in people turning wild colors and doing insanely funny things. Maybe Remus would stick around to balance things out.

He shifted, trying to get comfortable on the hard floor. He wished Ron and Hermione were here. It was so much easier for him to think when he could talk things over with his friends. Introspection was definitely not one of his strong points. Then again, when he considered the lack of communication from his friends this summer, he wondered if having them there really would help. Maybe it had only been a couple of weeks since the term ended, but he had still been expecting more then the few brief, uninformative letters he'd gotten so far. Hermione usually sent him at least two pages a week, but he'd only received one letter that was only a few paragraphs long. And Ron's letters two letters were absolutely sparse. He wondered if it had anything to do with that Order Dumbledore had started. He frowned. He had forgotten about that. Sirius and Alexiel had told him that Dumbledore had the Order guarding him, and considering how quickly the Headmaster had appeared, they must've been right. That irritated him. He hated being treated like a child. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it now except be happy he was out of their reach.

Grimacing, he stood. As much as he would like to brood about the unfairness of it all, he was tired and sleep sounded really good.

* * *

Harry was not the only one who had sought solitude after dinner. After a few minor chores, Alexiel had ascended to her room to evaluate the current situation. It was not the room she had occupied as a child—that one was far too small for her these days—but she had spent free moments in the past two weeks ensuring that it was comfortable. With a small glass of firewhiskey in one hand, she sprawled lazily in a comfortably worn armchair she'd chosen specifically for moments of contemplation. Marilyn Manson played lowly on the stereo she'd placed on the desk; it helped her think. Many of her colleagues thought her mad for preferring the obscene rocker's music when she was trying to concentrate, but she had found that the discordant music made an interesting match for her thoughts. The rest thought her mad for liking muggle music in general.

As she sipped her firewhiskey, she pondered the boy who was sleeping down the hall. He had accepted everything thrown at him today with considerable poise, but only time would tell if he would completely settle and adapt to his new living arrangements and guardian. There was nothing she could do to change that. All she could do was give him as normal a life as possible for either of them, and hope for the best. Sadly, she doubted that was very normal at all. Perhaps given past events, she should see to a bit more thorough training, rather then only spells to use against his enemies. She had learned early in her own training that sometimes magic wasn't the best answer. Perhaps some martial arts, weapons and survival training was in order…

Deciding that would merit more thought later, she filed it to the back of her mind. There were other things that needed to be taken care of before they got to that. A trip to Diagon Alley and muggle London would have to be made soon. Sirius was in need of a new wand, Harry would be needing school supplies, and she had need of a few supplies herself. They would all need new clothes, Harry couldn't continue to wear those horrid clothes the Dursleys had given him, and Sirius and Remus were looking a bit ragged. She pursed her lips as she considered how the two adults would react to being forced to let her buy them clothes. Remus, for all his soft-spoken ways, had just a bit too much pride to accept charity; and Sirius was no better. But since Remus' condition forced him into unemployment and Sirius couldn't access the Black vault… Well, she'd think of something to get them to cooperate.

That led her to another thing on her list. Pettigrew. He had to be found. Sirius' innocence had to be proven. It was too damned inconvenient that he couldn't wander about in public, as well as unfair to him. And Lily and James' deaths demanded justice. It led her to wonder just what had been going on with the Ministry when they had so abruptly tossed him in Azkaban. A simple application of Veritiserum would have proven his innocence, yet they hadn't even bothered. It was wrong on so many levels. Even Ghost didn't pass the sentence without incontrovertible evidence of guilt. That was something to have her contacts look into…

Her thoughts drifted further. Dumbledore should have known. He had been closer to Lily and James then anyone else at that point of time. He should have known who the secret keeper was, so why did he allow Sirius to go to prison? For that matter, what about his more recent actions? Never mind his screw-ups of sixteen years ago, how could he allow so many near-catastrophes at Hogwarts in the last four years? Trolls in the school, parasitic Dark Lords on the faculty, a Death Eater posing as a teacher…She frowned. The man was either slipping or he had become far too arrogant. She had discreetly checked Harry and his possessions for any sort of tracking spells or alarms earlier, and had found nothing. Did that mean he really wasn't as concerned for Harry's welfare as he said he was?

A faint sound at odds with the music jerked her from her thoughts. She stood smoothly and crossed the room to shut the stereo off. Listening carefully, she heard it again; soft cries from somewhere nearby. Though she had a strong suspicion of who and what it was, she tucked her Berretta into the back of her pajama pants and retrieved her wand from the table by the chair before leaving the room. Better to be safe. She padded down the hall and stopped in front of the door to Harry's room, listening once again. Yes, the sounds were coming from there. Sighing inaudibly, she pushed the door open and moved to sit on the bed.

"Harry."

The boy jerked, coming awake with a stifled gasp. He blinked owlishly at her. "Wha—?"

"You were having a nightmare."

He sighed. "It's nothing new."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No." Harry shook his head quickly. "It's nothing. I'm used to it."

Alexiel studied him for a moment before nodding. "You should try to go back to sleep then."

Harry snorted, and she interpreted this correctly as an indication that sleep would be a long time returning. "…Or you can come hang out with me."

Choosing between lying in bed sleeplessly or potentially learning more about his new godmother was laughably easy. He climbed out of bed and followed her back to her room. He looked around curiously as Alexiel reclaimed her earlier seat. It was nothing like his room, which was done in Gryffindor red and gold—right down to the painted motifs on the bed's headboard, and lacking in any sort of personalized decoration. Instead, everything was darker, in shades of black, dusty violet and midnight blue, with touches of forest green and silver here and there. Harry decided he liked Alexiel's room much better then his own. It was much less—bright.

Alexiel watched him patiently, a small smirk on her face. "Feel free rummage around if you like. I've got all the dangerous stuff locked up."

Harry shot her an unsure look. He couldn't tell if she was kidding or not. He decided it was safer just to take the other armchair and keep his hands to himself. He eyed the bottle of firewhiskey that sat on the small table between the two chairs. "Is that stuff good?"

Alexiel gave the bottle a considering look. "It's a good deal stronger then butterbeer, if that's what you're asking. The flavor takes a bit of getting used to, but after you do, it provides a nice way to relax in small quantities. I occasionally have a drink or two when I want to think."

"Oh." Harry said. "Does it help you sleep?"

"Sure. You'll regret it in the morning, though. Unless you're handy with a hangover charm."

"There's a charm for hangovers?" Harry suddenly took a great deal more interest in the drink.

Easily seeing where this was going, Alexiel moved the bottle to the floor, out of sight. "I'm not getting you drunk so you can escape your dreams, kid. Sirius might find it funny, but Remus would have my head on a pike."

"It was just a thought." Harry muttered.

"It was a nice try." Alexiel smiled. They sat in silence for a while, each caught in their own thoughts.

"I keep dreaming about the night Cedric died." Harry blurted.

To her credit, Alexiel didn't even bat an eye at the sudden confession. "That would be the same night Voldemort regained his body, correct?"

"Yeah." Harry rested his head in his hands. "It's my fault, y'know. I got Cedric killed."

"I'm curious as to how you came to that conclusion."

"I could have just taken the cup by myself. He tried to get me to take it, but I said we both should."

"Did you know it was a portkey?"

"Well—no."

"So you had no idea that you were about to be whisked away. You were merely doing what you felt was right."

"But what about when Wormtail killed him? I didn't even try to protect him!"

"What could you have done?"

"I—I don't know. Something!"

"Why don't you tell me what happened, and I'll tell you what you could have done to save Cedric."

Harry visibly braced himself as he began to relive that night's events. "We were transported to a graveyard; we thought it was part of the task. Then Wormtail was there; he had—something—in his arms. My scar was burning, worse then it ever had. And Voldemort told him to k—kill the spare, and Wormtail did. He used the killing curse before I could realize what was happening."

Harry paused and took a ragged breath. Alexiel conjured a shot glass and poured him a bit of firewhiskey. He laughed hoarsely. "I thought you weren't going to get me drunk."

"I'm not. You just look like you could use that." Alexiel said. "Drink it fast."

Harry shrugged and tossed the drink back. It burned all the way down, leaving his tongue slightly numb and his eyes watering. He gasped. "Bloody hell."

"Yeah." Alexiel agreed. "Keep going, Harry."

Harry nodded slowly, and continued his tale. He described the ritual Wormtail had used to bring back the Dark Lord, then the summoning of the Death Eaters and the following battle with Voldemort. He choked up a little when he described seeing the echo of his parents, but plowed on determinedly. He spoke of breaking the Priori Incantum and taking Cedric's body back to Hogwarts. "I had to _accio_ the portkey, and then we were back at school, and everyone was screaming…"

Harry trailed off and Alexiel stared at him, fury hidden behind a blank mask. The things Harry had just related were horrible for a grown adult, much less a fourteen-year-old boy. The fact that it was _this_ fourteen-year-old boy, the son of one of her best friends and her ward only made it worse. It opened a well of vengeful rage in her that hadn't been felt since Halloween sixteen years ago. It was with great difficulty that she shoved it back and gathered her thoughts. "Harry?"

He looked up at her morosely.

"I want you to listen to me carefully, Harry. _There was nothing you could do._" Alexiel said slowly. Harry shook his head in denial and she held up a hand to halt any argument. "I'm serious, Harry. The only possible thing you could have done would have been to take the killing curse yourself. And don't think that would have saved Cedric or kept Voldemort from returning, because it wouldn't have. It didn't have to be your blood he used. 'Blood of the enemy.' He could have used Cedric's blood just as easily, and then he would have killed him, just like he was going to kill you."

"But I got away."

"To be honest, I think it was only Voldemort's arrogance that let you escape." When he glared at her, she sighed. "Truthfully, Harry, do you think you could have survived if Voldemort had done the expedient thing and simply ordered his Death Eaters to kill you instead of insisting on dueling you?"

Harry continued to glare for a moment before the finally looked away. "No."

"Please think about what I've said tonight, Harry." Alexiel watched him thoughtfully for a moment before adding, "A very pretty white owl showed up outside the wards about an hour ago. I let her into the owlery at the top of the east tower. She seemed to be looking for someone."

Harry's head snapped up guiltily. Hedwig! He had forgotten her! He smiled weakly, muttering a soft 'thanks' before getting up and leaving the room.

Alexiel watched him go before standing and crossing the room to pull the concealing shroud of fabric from a large mirror on the wall. Harry's emotional state was out of her hands for the night, time to see to her own. She needed to see a man about a rat.

* * *

Urgg…this chapters a bit longer then the others, wouldn't you say? For some reason, once I got started on it, I just couldn't stop. 2,697 words, according to MS Word. I do believe that puts this story past the 10,000-word mark. Not too shabby for a prologue and five chapters. I swear, all I've done today is type. Between this chapter and the conversation with my friend that spawned the writing of a short story mocking fairytales, I'm surprised I'm not cross-eyed from staring at the computer screen. Oh well. Hope it's satisfactory. 


	7. Chapter 6

**Standard Disclaimer:** I do not, have not and will never own Harry Potter. However, I do own Alexiel and her tendency to shoot things when she's irritated.

**Chapter VI **

Sirius Black was not a happy person. There were many things contributing to his lack of happiness. The first being that he had been forcibly evicted from his bed less then fifteen minutes ago. Second was the fact that upon said eviction, he had been wearing only a pair of ragged boxers and hadn't even been given time to put on a robe before being dragged—by his hair!—downstairs. Third, and more importantly, upon arriving downstairs he had promptly been tied to a kitchen chair. But most important of all, there was currently a madwoman with scissors hovering uncomfortably close to his head.

And his best friend and godson were laughing at him.

Sirius whimpered as the scissors snipped again and another long strand of his hair fell to the floor. Harry muffled a laugh and Sirius whipped his head around to glare at him. This earned him a sharp smack on the back of his head from Alexiel. "Ouch! Bloody hell, woman! Why are you abusing me?"

"If you'd hold still, I wouldn't have to." Alexiel retorted.

Sirius scowled. "This is cruel and unusual punishment, y'know. I didn't ask for a haircut. I don't want a haircut!"

"Well you're getting one anyway, aren't you?" Alexiel hacked off another strand of tangled hair. "You look like a bloody barbarian."

"Maybe I _want_ to look like a barbarian." Sirius shot back. He glared at Harry and Remus. "I can't believe you two are letting her do this to me. Some friends you are."

"It had to be done, Padfoot." Remus said. "Your hair was beginning to look like a bird's nest."

"Was not." Sirius denied automatically.

"It did look pretty bad." Harry said.

"Fine. It looked bad." Sirius grumbled. "But did you have to tie me to the bloody chair?"

Alexiel snorted. "Considering the last time Lily tried to give you a haircut you ran screaming like a little girl and it took us half an hour to catch you...?"

"I had forgotten about that." Remus smirked. "He did scream like a girl, didn't he?"

"Why are you picking on me?" Sirius whined.

"Because you're an easy target. And it's fun." Alexiel gave his hair a few final snips and stepped back. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Remus banished the ropes holding Sirius and conjured a mirror. Sirius grabbed the mirror and examined his hair. It was now barely chin-length and slightly shaggy. He tugged at one of the front strands and scowled. "It's too short."

Alexiel matched his scowl with one of her own. "Keep complaining and I'll shave you bald. Now go put some bloody clothes on so we can leave."

"Where're we going?" Harry asked.

"Shopping."

"Ha!" Sirius laughed triumphantly. "I can't go. I'll get arrested."

"Oh you don't have to worry about that." Alexiel smirked. "I've a disguise for you."

"Bugger." Sirius sighed.

"How are you going to disguise him?" Harry wondered.

Alexiel reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pillbox and a bag of what looked like blonde hair. She set both on the table and removed a tiny purple pill from the box and a single hair from the bag. The other three watched curiously as she wrapped the hair around the pill, where it was absorbed completely. Handing the pill to Sirius, she smirked. "Eat that."

Sirius eyed it doubtfully. "I don't think I want to..."

"It won't kill you."

Sirius sighed and took the pill from her, popping it into his mouth and swallowing before he could have second thoughts. For several seconds nothing happened, then Sirius began to change. He shrunk about two inches and he went from thin to merely lean. His hair shortened even more and turned blonde while his eyes went pale blue and his skin gained the tan of someone who spent a lot of time outside. Remus' eyes widened. "It's Polyjuice?"

"In a handy pill form and without the foul taste." Alexiel said. "Someone in R&D cooked it up in her spare time. It's concentrated so that it lasts about an hour. As long as you keep taking the pills on time, you can stay in disguise indefinitely."

"Neat." Harry picked up one of the capsules and examined it curiously. "I wish we'd had these in second year."

"What were you doing with Polyjuice in second year?" Remus asked.

"Er—we, Ron and I that is, wanted to look like Crabbe and Goyle so we could question Malfoy..." Harry explained.

"Why do I have so many scars?" Sirius asked. "Who exactly did you get that hair from, Alexiel?"

Alexiel shrugged. "An acquaintance owed me a favor. And I wasn't aware that he had so many scars. I knew about the knife wound in the back and a couple of the bullet wounds because I was there when they happened, but that's it."

"I...see." Sirius said.

"Good. Now, if you'll be so kind as to go get ready so we can leave?"

"Right." Sirius turned and left the kitchen, muttering as he went. "I hate shopping..."

* * *

Despite Alexiel's determination to leave immediately, it was another two hours before the quartet managed to floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Alexiel had made the mistake of informing Sirius and Remus that along with some basic necessities needed around the Manor, they, and Harry, were also getting new clothes. This led to a long and loud argument in which the two Marauders declared they would not accept charity, to which Alexiel replied that she would be damned if she would allow them to wander around her house looking so bloody ragged and they would damned well take advantage of her generosity or they would find themselves sleeping outside from that point on. It was eventually decided that new wardrobes would be something like a sign of gratitude for sticking around to help keep an eye on Harry. Harry wisely stayed out of the argument.

After they finally reached the Leaky Cauldron, there was a side trip to Gringott's where Alexiel made a hefty withdrawal and, for some odd reason, demanded Harry have a new vault key made. From there, she dragged them into muggle London, going from store to store until she was satisfied they would all be well clothed. They had a late lunch and a short rest at the Leaky Cauldron before they headed back into Diagon Alley. Their first stop was actually in Knockturn Alley, at a store called simply 'The Wand Shop.' Sirius had been absolutely gleeful to finally acquire a new wand from the disinterested owner of the shop. However, there had been an odd moment when Alexiel had gotten a peculiar look on her face after Sirius bitterly asked "What trial?" after she'd made a casual comment on his old wand being snapped after his trial.

Next had been an obscure pet shop, where Alexiel procured some sort of two-tailed cat called a Cait Sidhe and, strangely enough, a puffskein. Arrangements were made to pick up the cat later, but Alexiel opted to carry around the puffskein ("I'm calling him Bob."). After some teasing from Sirius about Bob and a judicious application of a silencing charm by Remus, the four headed for the Apothecary. Or at least, Alexiel, Remus and Harry had. Sirius had mysteriously disappeared once he realized their destination. After ten minutes of watching the two adults muse over jars of Belladonna and unidentifiable creature parts, Harry decided his time would be better spent looking for the missing Marauder and said as much to his godmother. She gave him an unreadable stare and simply told him to be careful.

Harry quickly departed from the foul-smelling store and began wandering the Alley. If he were convict-on-the-run-in-disguise, where would he be? Harry eyed the Quality Quidditch sign and snorted to himself. That seemed as likely a place as any to start looking. He crossed the Alley and had almost reached the door when several loud _crack_s further down caught his attention. He nearly ignored them, until people started screaming.

Faster then thought, he snatched his wand from his back pocket and whirled in the direction of the disturbance. His throat went dry as he recognized the black robes and white masks adorning the large group that shoppers were fleeing from. Feeling distinctly sick, he ducked into the Quidditch shop and pressed his back to the door, his thoughts racing. What should he do? What _could_ he do? There were so many of them! He was jarred from his thoughts as someone seized his shoulders and gave him a little shake.

"Harry! What's going on?"

After a second of confusion, Harry recognized Sirius. "Death Eaters."

"What?" Sirius froze, staring blankly out the window for a moment before releasing the young wizard and pulling out his own wand. "Stay in here."

Before Harry could object, Sirius had pushed him away from the door and rushed out. Harry watched him go, torn with indecision. Stay where it's safe, or go fight? "Bugger it."

Wand in hand, the Boy-Who-Lived darted out the door.

Back at the Apothecary, Alexiel stood to one side of the door, preparing to face the Death Eaters. There was no indecision for her, only the cold calmness she fell into before a fight. It was like an empty field of cold white snow in her head. She glanced at Remus, standing at the other side of the door, and noticed his hands were shaking though his face was calm. She wondered with detachment if it was from nervousness or if the wolf inside him sensed the coming battle. "Ready?"

He nodded and she flung the door open. They burst into the sunlight, firing off spells. Alexiel sent a blasting curse toward a trio of Death Eaters standing over some unfortunate soul. It hit one of them dead on and grazed another. The third managed to get off a killing curse before a stunner hit him from behind. Alexiel conjured a column of marble, which crumbled under the curse. A banishing charm sent the stone fragments flying back to the Death Eater. He dived aside and managed to fall into the path of a _Crucio_ from one of his fellows. Before the other Death Eater could halt the curse, she hit them both with particularly nasty and powerful multiple severing charms.

"Alexiel!"

Harry nearly barreled into her and she reached out to steady him, a scowl forming on her face. "What the fuck are you doing out here? Are you insane?"

"I want to help!" Harry protested.

"Shit." Alexiel jerked them both out of the path of a bright orange spell. "You stay close to me, understand? And don't do anything stupid. Where's Sirius?"

"I will. He was by Flourish & Blotts a minute ago." Harry said.

"Wonderful." Alexiel muttered. She let out a growl as she realized several Death Eaters were closing in on them. Shoving Harry behind her, she switched her wand to her left hand and focused her magic on her right. She swept her hand in an arc, magic streaming from her fingertips in a long, thin whip that sliced through the advancing Death Eaters like knife. Harry let out a strangled gasp from behind her. Alexiel shoved her wand into her back pocket and seized his wrist, dragging him along as she moved toward the bookstore, cutting through anyone wearing a mask stupid enough to get in her way. Halfway there she banished the whip and summoned a shield to block a bludgeoning curse.

Harry sent a stunner at the caster. "If you can do that, why do you use a wand?"

"Convenience." Alexiel said and flung a deep red ball of magic at a Death Eater firing spells from behind a pile of cauldrons. Harry missed the effect of the spell as he was occupied sending a barrage of hexes and curses at a rather persistent Death Eater, but from the scream it caused it must have been nasty. "But let's save the wandless magic lesson for later, shall we?"

Several more _cracks_ filled the air, signaling the arrival of the Aurors. Alexiel spotted the distinctive robes and resumed pulling her ward toward Flourish & Blotts. "We need to find Sirius and Remus."

"There!" Harry pointed ahead where Sirius was dueling a laughing Death Eater. Remus was at his back, holding off another. Harry and Alexiel made their way toward the Marauders, firing off spells and summoning shields to block those sent at them. Alexiel swore vividly as a severing curse brushed past her from behind, leaving a deep gash on her arm in it's wake. Harry glanced back, worried. "Are you ok?"

"Hurts like a bitch, but I'll live." Alexiel replied calmly, turning and drawing her Berretta from its disillusioned holster with her uninjured arm. She shot the offending Death Eater in the chest with a muffled _pop_. "Of course, I'm now a little irritated because I was hoping to get out of this unscathed. Guess I'll just have to play dirty. You might want to stay on my right, as my aim is a little shaky with my left hand."

"Uh, right." Just a little frightened, Harry stepped warily to her right and the two continued onward. They saw more Death Eaters had joined the fray with Sirius and Remus and Alexiel began picking them off when she had a clear shot. They reached the two Marauders just as they finished off the Death Eaters facing them. At that moment, the remaining Death Eaters seemed to notice the appearance of the Aurors and the ones who were able Apparated away. Sirius looked from the gun in Alexiel's hand to the Death Eaters it had felled.

"I want one of those."

"And I want to go home." Alexiel said.

"Wait, where's Bob?" Harry asked.

"I left him in the Apothecary." Alexiel said. "If one of you would go get him, I'll go fetch my cat and we can leave."

Remus sighed. "I believe that will have to wait. It seems we've been noticed."

Following the werewolf's gaze, they saw several Aurors bearing down on them. Alexiel sighed.

"Well my friends, it appears this day is about to get much longer."

* * *

Well, there's chapter six. Finally. I was all set to apologize profusely for the long wait, but then I realized it's only been ten days and that's really not that long. I still apologize, just not profusely. I probably would have had this chapter written sooner, but real life has a way of sneaking up behind you and kicking you repeatedly in the ribs. Then it points and laughs. It didn't help that I'm incredibly unsatisfied with the way things are moving so far. I mean, five bloody chapters for one day? That's ridiculous. Though I'm not planning on rewriting everything (yet), I am going to make an effort to speed things up after chapter seven at the latest.

Er, one more thing, when I was re-reading/skimming through OotP a few days ago, I found a mention of Sirius having a wand when they were cleaning Grimmauld Place. I thought his was confiscated? I'm so confused...

As always, thank you dear reviewers, I thrive on praise.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I am a bad, bad Kittie. I am so very, very sorry. Really. I didn't mean to wait almost a bloody year to update. Life just has a way of grabbing you by the hair, shaking you around a little and saying "You're mine, now, bitch!" Then you get people calling you at all hours of the night and day, wanting to go out and cause mischief and mayhem and go on spontaneous road trips... or maybe that's just me.

Would it help if I said I was already working on the next chapter?

**Chapter VII **

The Aurors worked efficiently. Anti-Apparation and Anti-Portkey wards were immediately put up. Those Death Eaters still alive were quickly apprehended and statements were taken from witnesses. Those who had participated in the fight, however, were another matter. Kingsley Shacklebolt studied the four people in front of him and swore inwardly. Only the night before, Albus Dumbledore had asked the members of the Order to do anything in their power to get Harry Potter away from the influence of Sirius Black and Alexiel LaCroix and this was almost a perfect opportunity. He could easily have LaCroix taken in for murder charges; the resulting paperwork, processing and trial would keep her held up for an indefinite amount of time. And he was almost positive the blonde man standing between Potter and Lupin was Black under some sort of glamour or Polyjuice. The only problem was, he wasn't sure he wanted to go through with it. He could see no logical reason why Potter should be taken from his godparents. Sure, LaCroix had just killed several people, but they _were_ Death Eaters, and it was self-defense. And Black may have escaped from Azkaban, but Albus himself had said the man was innocent. So why did the old wizard want them out of the way so badly?

Sighing, Shacklebolt sent a brief glance around to make sure they were out of earshot of anyone else and took a step forward muttering lowly, "You should know that Albus wants you lot separated. By his orders, I should arrest you, LaCroix, Black, and have you hauled off to the Ministry."

LaCroix didn't even blink. "Arrest us for what? A check of our wands would show no lethal or illegal spells. Even if you did somehow manage to produce proof one of us killed those Death Eaters, the use of lethal force in defense of oneself is perfectly legal."

"I am aware of that." Shacklebolt replied. "That's why I'm not going to arrest you. I suggest you give me your statements quickly and leave as soon as the wards come down, before the Order arrives."

"Your advice is much appreciated." Lupin said smoothly. "We will, of course, do as you suggest. Harry, let's go get Bob. Alexiel, you go do what you were going to do. We'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron to give our statements, Auror Shacklebolt."

Shacklebolt watched wearily as the quartet split up and headed for the Leaky Cauldron. They didn't keep him waiting long. Within ten minutes, the quartet had joined him in a private room and was dutifully repeating the events of the attack. It took surprisingly little time. The only bumps in the interview were Lupin's sudden coughing fit when Black introduced himself as 'Clint Eastwood' and LaCroix's omission of how she dispatched the Death Eaters. When asked, she replied coolly: "That is classified information and I am not authorized to reveal it."

Having a good idea of her recent employment, Shacklebolt deemed it wiser not to press the issue.

**TTOS **

Upon returning to Sidhe Manor, Harry retreated once more to the fountain room. It was fast becoming his chosen spot for contemplation and introspection of any sort—though, as he tried to get comfortable on the floor, he decided the room definitely needed chairs. He finally settled with his back to the wall and his arms resting on his knees, staring at the falling water blankly. The adrenaline from the fight had worn off and now he felt odd, nauseous and shaken. His mind kept replaying the vivid image of Alexiel's magic whip cutting down the Death Eaters, the splash of blood on the ground and the cries of the Death Eaters' victims.

His stomach churned wildly and Harry was forced to jump up and find a lavatory, fast. Once he'd finished experiencing everything he'd eaten that day in reverse, he sank to the floor and leaned against the wall, panting. A short time later, a cool damp cloth was dropped across his forehead and he found Alexiel standing over him. She sat next to him and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"You shouldn't have had to see all the death that happened today." Alexiel said. "And yet, I can't bring myself to regret that you did. And I'm sorry for that."

"I don't understand." Harry frowned.

Alexiel thought for a moment. "Death...death has a way of hardening people. If you watch enough people die, there comes a point when it just doesn't bother you anymore or you'll just go insane. Part of me, my practical side, I guess, believes that would be good for you, with Voldemort and his Death Eaters out there—and the rest of me is horrified that such a thing should be necessary."

"I don't want that." Harry said vehemently. "I don't want to _not care_!"

"Then what do you want?"

"I want to be normal! I don't want to be the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, or the Tri-Wizard Champion! Or worry about Voldemort coming after me!"

Alexiel sighed. "You do pick the hard ones, don't you? How do you propose to make that happen? As long as you live, you will be remembered as the Boy-Who-Lived. And as long as Voldemort exists, he will despise you for banishing him all those years ago."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"The way I see it, you've got two choices." Alexiel said. "You can either let fear and fame rule your life, or you can take control and do something about it."

"Like what?"

"Fight."

Harry laughed harshly. "It all comes back to that, doesn't it? No matter what I do, I always end up fighting for something."

"Sucks, doesn't it?" Alexiel said.

"Yeah. Yeah, it does." Harry sighed. "Can you at least teach me wandless magic?"

"We'll work our way up to that, I think." Alexiel replied. "There are other things you need to learn first."

"But you _will_ teach me, right?"

"Don't worry, I will." She stood and offered him a hand up. "Why don't you go down to the kitchen and have some crackers or something. It will help settle your stomach."

Harry nodded and made a quick exit. Alexiel waited until he'd disappeared from view before striding determinedly to her room. Upon slamming the door shut and casting an Imperturbable charm on it she pulled away the cloth covering the dressing table mirror and tapped a carving on the frame with her wand. The mirror went cloudy for a few seconds before it cleared to give a view of an aging, stern looking man. The man in the mirror eyed the witch wearily. "LaCroix. To what do I owe this dubious honor?"

"Good evening to you, too, Commander Jones." Alexiel scowled. "I'm just peachy, thanks for asking. How's the wife?"

"Cut the bullshit, LaCroix." The Commander snapped. "We both know you don't make social calls."

"Very well." Alexiel scowled. "I need information."

"On what?"

"A conviction. Black, Sirius. Tossed in Azkaban for the murder of thirteen Muggles and one wizard, and the betrayal and subsequent deaths of James and Lily Potter." Alexiel replied grimly.

"You know very well that we have no jurisdiction in Europe, LaCroix." Jones sighed. "And the British Ministry is notoriously stingy with information."

"Yes, I know. But I also know it's an open secret that IMP has agents in every major magical government in the world. I want contact with their people in the Ministry."

"I can't very well ask for favors like that without a damned good reason. I hope you have one."

"How about several people claiming Black is innocent, two verifiable sightings of one of his supposed victims alive and well, and the fact that Black never had a trial? Sound good enough?"

"I make no promises." Jones said. "Call back in a couple of days, I'll let you know."

"Thank you."

"One more thing, LaCroix." Jones eyed the witch suspiciously. "Why is my second best R&D person crazier then usual?"

Alexiel fixed an innocent look on her face. "I've no idea what you're talking about, sir."

Jones snorted. "The hell you don't. I took a stroll through the R&D department two days ago and found the Mad Scientist perfecting her best cackle and working on a super powered locator spell, in between testing the equally super powered summoning charm she came up with. She blamed it on you."

"Uh...I might have mentioned that I needed a way to track down that supposed victim of Black's." Alexiel hedged. "And maybe that his well being wasn't vital, so long as he was alive..."

"Damn it, LaCroix. Stop giving her ideas! That poor intern will never be the same."

"Right. No more ideas. I'll remember that." Alexiel grinned weakly. "So I'll call you in two days, bye now!"

The mirror went blank and the witch flopped onto her bed. "Bugger. Can't believe she ratted me out."

**TTOS**

Harry chewed absently on a Saltine as he watched Remus and Sirius stare grimly at each other from opposite sides of the kitchen table. Sirius' eyes narrowed as he studied the cards in his hand before continuing to glare across the table at his opponent. This sequence of actions repeated itself several times before the Azkaban escapee finally growled out, "Four?"

Remus smirked. "Go fish."

"Bugger." Sirius scowled and drew a card.

"Y'know," Harry commented. "You kind of suck at this game, Padfoot."

"Shut up, Harry." Sirius replied.

"Ignore him, Harry." Remus smirked. "He's a sore loser. Always has been."

"Shut up, Moony." Sirius grumbled.

"Did you talk to Alexiel, Harry?" Remus asked. "Do you have a King, Padfoot?"

"Bleedin' hell." Sirius tossed a card across the table.

"Yeah." Harry said. "She's going to teach me more spells."

"That should be useful." Remus said.

"I hope so." Harry muttered. He stood abruptly. "I'm going to go write Hermione and Ron."

The two Marauders watched in bemusement as he left.

"D'you suppose we should have tried to talk to him about the attack, after all?" Sirius asked.

"No." Remus sighed. "We'll just have to trust that Alexiel spoke to him about it, as she said she would."

"If you say so." Sirius said. "Got a ten?"

"Go fish."

"Bugger."

**TTOS**

Yay, bonus feature!

**Omake**

Commander David Jones strolled idly through the MIB's Research and Development department. All around him, industrious witches and wizards in lab coats bent over various experiments and projects. Cauldrons bubbled briskly over small flames and here and there a flash of magic could be seen as new spells were created, or old ones enhanced and improved. The Commander felt a small swell of pride as he observed his subordinates. The Magical Investigation Bureau's R&D department had some of the finest minds of the time working hard to improve the quality of the Wizarding World. Spells, potions, you name it, they could make it. Really, it was amazing how brilliant some of these people were.

"MOOOOOOOMMMMMMIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!"

The Commander watched in shock as all those brilliant minded researchers automatically ducked to avoid the white-coated body that went zipping through the air toward the back of the lab. He continued to stare, open-mouthed for another thirty seconds before he roared "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

"That was Higgins, sir." One of the researchers replied absently. "Poor bastard was assigned to assist the Mad Scientist."

"Hn. Hope his medical insurance is up to date..." A second person commented.

Jones turned on his heel and stalked off in the direction Higgins had flown. He quickly located the cluttered work area that his second most brilliant subordinate had claimed as her own. All the areas around it were devoid of occupation, as everyone else had quickly learned that working too close to the person they'd dubbed 'the Mad Scientist' was Not Safe At All. The Commander ignored this subtle warning sign and stepped around a desk and over a prone and groaning Higgins to ream the wayward witch.

"Anderson! What the hell do you—_what the hell is wrong with your head?!_"

Anderson peered at him through thick protective goggles and reached up to flick one of the cat ears nested in her pastel pink and green curls before cackling madly. "Transfiguration mistake. Aren't they cool? Now I just need a tail."

Jones ran a hand over his face and prayed for patience. "Wonderful. Now what the hell do you think you're doing to that poor man?"

"Testing my newest creation of course."

"Damn it, Anderson! That's what the test dummies are for!"

"But they're not as much fun!"

"Anderson!"

"What? I put a cushioning charm on him, didn't I?" Anderson cried. "I'm not stupid enough to test my new super powered summoning charm without taking precautions!"

"_Why_ did you make a super powered summoning charm?"

"Why, to go with the super powered locator charm, of course."

"Again, _why?_"

Anderson looked around shiftily. "Wasn't my idea. I had nothing to do with it."

Oh god. "Whose idea was it, and what did you have nothing to do with?"

"I plead the fifth! Incidentally, d'you have a drink?"

His eyebrow was twitching. He could feel it. "Anderson..."

"I blame Alexiel! Or was it Canada? No, pretty sure it was Alexiel."

Jones looked down as he felt a tug on his pants. Higgins was clinging pitifully to his leg, looking up at him with tear filled eyes.

"Please, sir! Transfer me out! Anywhere! I don't care! Send me to the Department of Dangerous Creatures, just don't let her kill me!"

Jones looked toward the ceiling and sighed heavily. "I don't get paid enough for this."

**End**

..I'm going to read that later after I've had sleep and wonder what kind of crack I was smoking. Anyway. This is the part where I'm supposed to beg for reviews, but my fingers are cramping.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not and will not ever own Harry Potter. Chapter VIII 

_Dear Hermione and Ron,_

Don't know if you've heard yet, but I'm not at Privet Drive anymore. I found out I have a godmother. She's been in the States since I was a baby, and didn't know I was living with the Dursleys. Snuffles wrote her a letter a couple of weeks ago, and she came right back and adopted me! So now I'm living with Alexiel (godmother) and Snuffles and Moony in Alexiel's house. It's nice. There's a huge library full of all sorts of books. I think you'd like it, Hermione. And Ron, there's a Quidditch Pitch.

_Alexiel's nice, too. And fun. The first day we were here, she and Snuffles had a prank war. Moony won. (I have pictures!) We also went shopping. You'll probably read it in the Prophet, so I'll tell you now so you don't worry. There was an attack on Diagon Ally while we were there, but we're all alright. I've loads more to tell you, but I probably shouldn't put it in a letter. Maybe you can come visit sometime and we can talk then. If not, I'll tell you everything on the train._

_Harry_

"Oi! Why's your name first? Aren't I his best mate?"

"_Honestly_, Ron! Can't you see there are more important things then who's name came first!" Hermione huffed. "Really. Did you even read the letter?"

"Of course I did!" Ron said. "Harry's got a Quidditch pitch! How wicked is that?"

"_Ron!_ Harry was there when the Death Eaters attacked Diagon Ally! Don't you think that's a little more important then a Quidditch pitch?"

"But he said everyone was alright."

"Even so, you could show a little more concern!"

"I was concerned! Then he said everything was fine, so I didn't need to be concerned anymore, did I?"

Hermione made a frustrated sound before sighing in resignation. "Whatever, Ron. Do you think we could go visit him?"

"I dunno." Ron replied. "We can ask Mum and Dumbledore if it's alright."

"Oh, I do hope they let us go!" Hermione said. "Let's go ask!"

The duo quickly went downstairs and found Molly Weasley in the kitchen along with several other Order members. Ron dropped into a free chair and waved Harry's letter. "We got a letter from Harry. He's got a Quidditch pitch!"

Molly bustled over to her youngest son and snatched the letter. "Let's see it, then. Is he alright, the poor boy?"

"He's fine, mum." Ron said.

"He wants us to visit." Hermione added.

Molly's eyes narrowed ominously, but Arthur spoke quickly. "That was nice of him, perhaps we can arrange something later this summer."

"Arthur!" Molly hissed.

"What? What's wrong with going to visit Harry?" Ron asked, glancing suspiciously between his parents.

"Not a thing, Ron." Arthur soothed. "Your mother just isn't very fond of Harry's godmother."

"Why?" Ron demanded. "She can't be that bad if she got him away from those awful Muggles, and had a prank war with Sirius."

"It's nothing for you to worry about." Arthur replied. "Now why don't you go upstairs and write Harry?"

The two teens turned and slowly left the room. As the door swung closed, they heard Molly declare, "I won't have it, Arthur. I won't have it!"

"I don't get it." Ron said. "Why can't we go?"

Hermione frowned. "I don't know. But I'm sure if your mum doesn't like Harry's godmother, there must be a good reason. Maybe we should ask him?"

"Maybe." Ron sighed. "C'mon, let's go write Harry."

"What's this?" Fred and George popped up behind the pair. "Our ickle brother Ronikins and dear Hermione are looking rather glum..."

"Gloomy."

"Dreary."

"Dismal."

"Melancholy."

"Morose."

"Shut it." Ron snapped.

"You wound us, dear brother." Fred gasped, pressing his hand to his heart dramatically.

"Indeed," George sighed. "Such venomous words! And we only wished to inquire as to the cause of your foul temper."

Hermione broke in before Ron could really lose his temper. "We were hoping to go see Harry, but I don't think Mrs. Weasley is going to let us."

"Ah." George nodded knowingly. "That's to be expected..."

"After all, mum seems to have a serious dislike of Mr. Potter's new guardian." Fred finished.

"What do you mean? Why does she not like her?" Ron asked.

"Can't say for sure..."

"...We heard part of mum's tirade when they got back from the Dursleys."

"Something to do with Ms. LaCroix's past employment, we think."

"But mum caught us before we heard the whole thing."

"However..."

"If you really want to see Harry..."

"Ron may not be able to go, but..." The twins exchanged a sly smirk.

"But, what?" Hermione asked.

"Us Weasleys may not be able to go see our favorite boy hero,"

"But you, Miss Granger, can. After all,"

"Even Dumbledore can't stop you if you've got permission from your parents,"

"Now can he?"

**[TTOS**

"_Aestuo!_" A ten-foot streamer of flames shot from the tip of Harry's wand, holding steady for nearly a minute before they flickered and faded away. Alexiel stepped away from the wall and crossed the room to pat him on the shoulder.

"Good. You held it a bit longer that time." She said. "You're getting better. How 'bout we take a little break?"

"Sounds good to me." Harry said. "I do have a question, though. How come I haven't got in trouble for using magic outside of school?"

"Well, Harry, that's because the Ministry is blatantly prejudice and doesn't bother monitoring purely magical households like they do Muggle households. That and I had Remus remove the monitoring charms on your wand after you went to bed a few days ago. He really should have been a Ravenclaw."

Harry looked at his godmother, then at his wand, and back to Alexiel. "But, isn't that like...illegal?"

"Sure is." Alexiel beamed.

Harry sighed as he followed her out of the huge room they were using as a training ground. "You're kinda strange."

"I know." She replied. "But enough of that. Go grab a snack while I track down Remus and Sirius."

"What is it with you and Mrs. Weasley always wanting to feed me?" Harry frowned.

"It's because you're underweight and small for your age." Alexiel said. "Or at least, that's my reason."

"Sirius is skinny, too, but you're not always telling him to eat."

Alexiel gave an unladylike snort. "I don't have to. He waits 'til he thinks everyone is asleep and raids the kitchen every night."

"Really?"

"Where do you think all the food's going? I caught him early this morning finishing off my last bag of Oreo's, the bastard."

"Is that why his mouth was spelled shut and he had donkey ears and a tail earlier?" Harry asked.

"Indeed it is." Alexiel smirked.

"Ah, there you are." Remus spotted them as they rounded a corner. "Hullo, Harry. How was practice?"

"Fine. I learned a new spell, _Aestuo_."

"The Flame-thrower spell? That should be useful." Remus said. "Perhaps you could demonstrate it later."

"Er, I guess." Harry shrugged.

"Good, good. I look forward to it." Remus said. "Alexiel, I'd like to discuss a few things with you."

"That sounds rather ominous."

"No, no. I just have a few questions." Remus assured her.

"Right, then." Alexiel said. "Follow me."

She led the way to the sitting room and sprawled across an armchair. "So, what's on your mind?"

Harry claimed the remaining armchair while Remus settled on the sofa. "I was curious as to how the four of us were going to manage keeping Sidhe Keep clean and in good repair. It is rather...large."

"It's a bloody Keep, Remus." Alexiel smiled. "Large isn't quite accurate. But I understand what you mean. I do need to call the elves back, along with a hundred other little things I've been putting off."

"You have house elves?" Harry asked.

"Yes. The family elves. I sent them off to my cousins when I left." Alexiel sighed. "I suppose that should go at the top of my to-do list, huh?"

"That would be a good idea." Remus said. "What else do you need to do? Perhaps we can help."

"Well, a couple of the wards need maintenance and adjustment. Particularly the mail ward, the only owl that can get in and out right now is Hedwig. I do need to go through some of the rooms and see what needs to be kept and what needs to go. We'll need groceries again, soon. I'm afraid I wasn't thinking last time, and didn't buy enough to last a while. And the floo security could use a bit of tweaking."

"If you like, Sirius and I can deal with the floo tomorrow. That should leave you free to fix the wards." Remus offered.

"That would be helpful. Thank you." Alexiel said. "Was there anything else you were wondering about?"

"Yes, actually." Remus replied. " The full moon is in a little over a week."

"Ah. What will you be needing?"

"A reinforced room, preferably away from the house since I don't have the Wolfsbane potion anymore." Remus said.

"There's the carriage house. It's stone, and the windows are small. We can hit the whole thing with Unbreakable charms, just in case. Will that work?"

"Yes, I think that will do."

"Good. If that's all, I suppose I'll get in contact with my cousins tonight and beg them to send the house elves back."

"How will you do that, if Hedwig is gone and she's the only owl that can get through the wards?" Harry asked.

"I'll venture into the village and call them, since they have a telephone. The twins are mad about technology. I suppose I can pick up some more groceries while I'm there." Alexiel replied.

"Can I go?" Harry fixed his best pleading look on his face, eliciting laughs from the two adults.

Alexiel said, "You're not very good at that. But you can go anyway."

"Great!" Harry jumped up. "Let's go now!"

"Keep your shirt on, kid. I've got to go dig out their telephone number, and make sure I still have Muggle money."

"Er, wait a minute." Harry frowned as he recalled something. "Didn't you say Ardmore's seven miles away?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"So how are we going to get there?"

Alexiel paused, thought, stood and walked to the door, yelling, "Sirius! Can I borrow your bike?"

**[TTOS**

So, another chapter finished. I wish I could promise another chapter soon, but unfortunately, I'll be moving in a couple of weeks, so a lot of my time will be taken up with packing. And then unpacking. And so many other small things that make moving such a bloody _joy_. Can you hear the sarcasm? In the mean time, enjoy the holiday (Please don't let it rain tomorrow. Stupid Oklahoma weather!), have fun, blow stuff up, and remember, it's all fun and games until someone takes a bottle rocket to the eye.


End file.
